• 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, cut into small dice 3 large green chilies, roasted, seeded, peeled (such as Anaheim or even Italian-style long green peppers) 6 teaspoons chili powder, preferably ancho 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon marjoram (epazote) or 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (epazote) 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (roasted preferred) 1 teaspoon sugar 3 teaspoons salt

1. Blend sauce in blender
2. Cook potatoes and Kale together
3. Assemble
4. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes with aluminum foil cover and another 10-15 without it.

In a world of fast food and microwave dinners, many Americans put little thought into food. In the United States there is diminishing concern for preparation and ingredients in food. Thomas Ryan puts more thought into food than most people; he has been a vegetarian for ten years. Born in Crystal Lake, north of Chicago, Tom was born into the suburbs of the Midwest, a world with fast food joints on almost every corner and a heavy emphasis on meat, cheese, and salt. For Tom, the story of his life as a vegetarian is one of a shift in ideology and self-definition.

Tom became a vegetarian at fifteen. At the time, the decision was not simply a food choice, but part of a larger lifestyle statement. Just a teenager, Tom had no idea that this change in diet would dramatically alter the way he thought about not only food, but also health and the community in which he was raised. Tom was introduced to the vegetarian diet because it was closely tied to an underground music scene in Chicago. At shows, pamphlets were distributed concerning the importance of a vegetarian diet, and for Tom vegetarianism became closely tied to this underground scene of rebellion and resistance. His initial decision to become a vegetarian, he says, was very much a statement attached to his music, friends, and overall scene.

At first, this dietary choice was not health conscious. Tom remembers going to Taco Bell and simply getting the bean tacos rather than the meat tacos. The goal was not to eat healthy, but to stop eating meat. At his family's dinner table, Tom's dietary choice was not encouraged or even well understood. If his mother made steak and potatoes for dinner, Tom would just eat the potatoes. Regarding family dinners at his parents' house, Tom says, "if meat was all there was, I ate cereal or something." There was little education in the area about the available food substitutes.

The shift came when Tom moved out of his parents' house and began to cook for himself. This allowed him to explore the vegetarian diet as well as to enjoy it. Tom says that being a vegetarian "forced [him] to learn how to cook." Tom began to read more, find recipes online, and pave his own way to a healthy lifestyle. As a result of being a vegetarian, Tom spends more time than the average person thinking about food, but he is grateful for that. "Growing up I never thought about the food I was eating, I just loved Taco Bell," Tom says. Tom's story is one of maturing from using dietary changes as a form of rebellion, to growing into a lifestyle that very much defines him. His favorite food is veggie-enchiladas, which he calls his "go-to" meal. "If there are five or ten of us, this is a fun dish to make that I know will fill every last person up."